There were two reasons why the hugely talented Hutson fell to the bottom of the second round in his draft year: lack of size and limited straightforward speed. All the playing time in Laval will have no ameliorating effect on the former and limited effect on the latter. Hutson’s game is akin to riding a motorcycle: exciting until the moment of contact. Once Hutson turns over the puck, both he and the team are in trouble as Hutson lacks the recovery speed to eliminate the counter attack. We all saw Hutson's limitation against the Flyers' B squad. He was beaten wide on a couple of occasions. Imagine what would happen when Hutson plays against against elite NHL competition.
The question is whether Hughes and MSL are prepared to take the good along with the bad that Hutson offers. I think they will. Hutson's offensive skills are so superior and potentially game changing that the risks that Hutson's limitations pose will have to be accepted. A restive fan base will accept nothing less, particularly if the power play struggles. I think it also comes down to a timing or staging issue in Hughes' plans to re-build the team. While the team is showing positive signs that the building blocks for constructing a legitimate contender are being assembled, the team is still not there yet. Hughes understands this and realizes that until he can shed those overpaid and under performing veterans from the roster and the wave of talented prospects (Demidov, Hage, Kapanen, Beck, Florian, Tuch, etc.) arrive, play and contribute as hoped for, this team will remain more a pretender than contender.
As I said before, hockey, like all professional sports, at its essence, is entertainment. And the skillful Hutson is a great showman. He has elite skill which will put fans in the seats and merchandise on their backs. Hutson is part of the wave of talented players that will bring excitement, interest and high offensive skill to a rebuilding team. If Hughes and MSL took a chance on Laine, they'll take a chance on Hutson. What do they and the team have to lose?
This is going to be an interesting year.
Exciting hockey is back on the menu.
